Moorestown Changes School Referendum Plans: 4 Things To Know

MOORESTOWN, NJ — A vote on Moorestown's modified school bond referendum plans, which include a new location for the district's bus depot, will happen on Sept. 16, according to district officials.

The referendum will determine whether the Moorestown School District can issue bonds to fund significant upgrades to all schools and facilities. Although a successful bond referendum typically leads to a local tax hike, it's also the only path for New Jersey schools to partially fund its capital projects with money from the state.

The local cost and final list of projects that will be up for a vote remain to be determined. But several factors about the referendum became clearer at March 18's school board meeting, when officials presented a revised plan.

New Date In Place

For much of last year, the district had planned to hold a bond referendum in March. Had that been the case, the vote would've been two weeks ago.

But a necessary step in the referendum process came later than expected: the state education department determining how much it would fund each project if the referendum passed.

On top of that, local uproar over one proposal — moving the district's bus lot from Moorestown High School to the back of Moorestown Upper Elementary School — prompted district administrators to consider different options.

With a new location determined, among other project modifications, Moorestown is planning to hold the referendum on Sept. 16.

Bus Depot

Last week, the district introduced a new proposal for the bus lot, which currently sits next to Moorestown High School's parking lot.

Under the new plan, the lot would move into what is currently a playing field along Bridgeboro Road. But unlike the current bus depot, it would be fenced. And the new location would allow the district to expand classroom space at Moorestown High School — another key referendum plan.

The rest of the field space along Bridgeboro Road would be converted into three turf fields, according to renderings from Fraytak Veisz Hopkins Duthie, P.C. — the district's contracted architectural firm.

Other modified plans, which the state must review, include developing centralized temperature controls for the HVACs at all schools.

Broader Plans Still In Place

Many of the proposed referendum projects remain in place for the planned vote, including the following:

• Expanding William Allen Middle School: WAMS currently serves students from Grades 7-8, while Moorestown Upper Elementary School (UES) holds Grades 4-6. Expanding WAMS would allow it to take it sixth-graders for a traditional middle school setup. UES would serve Grades 3-5, allowing for a more traditional elementary setting.
• More elementary space: The shifting in grades is partially designed to help reduce class sizes in Moorestown's three "lower" elementary schools, which would go from PreK-3 to PreK-2. According to district plans, this would free up space to provide free, full-day kindergarten and make the district eligible for preschool-expansion aid.
• Moorestown High School upgrades: The district wants to expand MHS's classroom space, among other renovations to the school's indoor and outdoor facilities. Moving the bus lot would create space for this expansion.

See the full list of projects.

What's Next?

Last week, the board voted to send the district's new plans to the New Jersey Department of Education.

District officials estimate a response around June 19, which would show how much the state would be willing to fund each proposed project. With that information, the district must then determine which projects will go on the ballot.

The referendum could include one question or separate projects into multiple ballot questions. But the ballot question(s) must inform voters of how much the referendum would increase their local taxes.

The ballot question(s) must be submitted to the clerk of elections two months before the vote. For a Sept. 16 referendum, that would mean submitting by July 18.

Visit the district's referendum website for more info.